We understand that this week has been difficult for many of our students, and we appreciate the ongoing feedback that we have received from our community. Today, we’re writing to provide additional information related to the February 8th racial photo incident.
Updates Regarding the Investigation
We are pleased to tell you that our school administrators have concluded their investigation. We have identified the individuals who they have determined participated in this act and they have taken appropriate disciplinary action, according to school board policy and district Code of Conduct. We are aware that some of you would like to know exactly what type of discipline was applied. We hope you will understand we are required by law to protect the privacy of the individuals who have been identified so we cannot provide details about discipline for individual students. What we can share is that board policy and our district Code of Conduct allows for a range of consequences that enable administrators to apply discipline according to the seriousness of any situation -- and we found this to be an extremely serious incident. We can also share that the school district has collaborated with the New York State Police on this incident, which remains under separate investigation by police.
Updates Regarding Specific Steps We Are Taking to Improve
Throughout the week, our teachers have provided our students with educational opportunities to have productive conversations about their feelings towards the events that have occurred. In each of these scenarios, we have provided our teachers with the necessary resources to facilitate a conversation that may include differing viewpoints. Our teachers are working to the best of their ability to model and enforce civility, but please understand that this is a new process for them as well. We have also provided students with the opportunity to provide their feedback in a confidential manner. We believe that this feedback will greatly help us moving forward. Today, our students were released for early dismissal and our faculty and staff spent the afternoon participating in professional development sessions that work towards better understanding racial biases and incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts into our classrooms. In the coming weeks, we plan to actively implement additional initiatives that will allow us to create a safe and inclusive environment at Heuvelton Central School. These initiatives include:
- Providing a Cultural Competency course, offered by Seaway Valley Prevention Council. This is 18 hour training on race, gender, and equity. This course could be used for a variety of situations, including providing educational opportunities for students who commit offenses that are racial in nature.
- Participating in ongoing conversations with historically marginalized students about initiating a student group to provide voice and support, not unlike our current GSA.
- Meeting with staff from the Dispute Resolution Center to confirm their participation in the district to facilitate restorative practices to re-establish community and promote healing.
- Forming an equity working group to help process what has recently transpired, to look at the issue of equity over time at HCS and to examine our practices and programs to identify where change is needed.
In addition to the specific initiatives outlined above, we will continually evaluate which practices we can implement to ensure that Heuvelton Central School is a safe environment for our students. We believe that implementing programming such as this will allow our faculty and staff to gain a better understanding of how they can provide the best possible support to our students.
We want you to know that in every classroom, our staff is focused on helping each student feel safe, respected, and welcome at school. While we are horrified by this week’s incident, we are determined to continue our work to create a safe and respectful school community where we can have productive conversations about race and honor multiple perspectives. Again, we ask that you respect the privacy of the students involved in this incident. This event has served as a catalyst for change in our school district, and we understand that we must all take steps towards improving our work for racial equity. We will continue engaging in conversations about race and the devastating impact of racism in our nation, our communities, and our schools.